FTC Reined in by Judge for Retaliating Against Media Group (1)

Nonprofit Media Matters for America won a court order blocking a Federal Trade Commission information demand for documents from the group as part of an antitrust probe into advertising boycotts.

US District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan said the FTC’s civil investigative demand amounted to retaliation against Media Matters for exercising its constitutional right to free speech.

“This case presents a straightforward First Amendment violation,” Sooknanan said Friday in a 48-page decision granting a preliminary injunction.

Media Matters, a progressive advocacy group that focuses on misinformation in US media, published a November 2023 article that said Elon Musk’s social media platform ...